Bulls Plan To Try `Big Bang' Theory

Ewing Probably In For A Pounding

With Luc Longley, Bill Wennington, John Salley, James Edwards and Dennis Rodman, the Bulls could field an all-center lineup.

That would be one way to shut down Patrick Ewing.

But the Bulls have a better recipe: heaping spoonfuls of Longley plus a dash of Wennington, a touch of Salley and a smidgen of Edwards.

"We don't have Dennis Rodman as an available center in this series," said Bulls coach Phil Jackson. "We will need him against (Anthony) Mason. So Luc will have to play his best, and I expect him to play more than he did (16.7 minutes per game) during the Miami series."

Longley has been through this before. During the season, he held Ewing to an average of 19.5 points during the teams' four games.

The Bulls opted for a bend-but-don't-break philosophy during the regular season, allowing Ewing to operate one-on-one against Longley, who used every inch of his brawny, 7-foot-2-inch frame to make Ewing work for shots. The strategy worked.

"I suspect we'll start out with single coverage (again) for the obvious reason of keeping their perimeter shooters quiet," Longley said. "I expect to play heavy minutes. This is where I am a key, hopefully."

Longley was certainly a key when the Bulls embarrassed the Knicks 99-79 Jan. 23 at Madison Square Garden. In that game, Ewing managed just 10 points and nine rebounds while Longley scored 14 points and grabbed 10 boards.

If Longley falters, however, he has a trio of big men backing him up who will gladly put fresh bruises on Ewing's back.

The first is Salley, who smiled when he was asked if he enjoyed the prospect of a physical series.

"If the refs let us play, I like it," Salley said. "I like to bang and get down and dirty, make people think twice about shooting their normal shot."

Knicks backup center Herb Williams expects nothing less.

"They're probably going to pound (Ewing), push him and hold him," Williams said. "They have five guys they can rotate in the center post."

Wennington pointed out--ever so subtly--that this won't be the first opposing team that tries to use its hands for more than just shooting.

"We haven't had a physical series in a long time," Wennington said sarcastically. "So I guess we'll have to go to the drawing board and try to draw something new."

OK, point taken.

Alonzo Mourning does not play like the Sta-Puff marshmallow man. He doesn't play like David Robinson, either. He is a bruiser.

But he doesn't have the offensive repertoire or the soft touch that Ewing does.

"No one else on this ballclub is going to beat us," Jackson said of the seven-footer.

Even at 33, with his regular-season numbers slipping, Ewing is still the Knicks' anchor.

"He's a better player than he was at 23," Salley said. "I don't know if he's got as much spring, but he surely has more experience. His shot is second nature and he knows where to get it, when to get it. He knows how to pace himself. He's more seasoned."

Against the Cavaliers, Ewing's numbers were anything but gaudy as he averaged 18.3 points and 9.7 rebounds. But the bottom line was three wins.

"It's hard to determine if this year has taken something out the guy with all the disruptions--the coaching change, all the bickering, Oakley (injured)," Jackson said. "He was under duress, basically. But Patrick's a warrior."